The "Protagonist" is a character in I Am Alive. He is the central figure and a survivor of the game. Described as an "everyman", separated from his wife and child, the protagonist searches the ruined city of Haventon in the hopes of finding them.

When he reaches the apartment, his wife and child were nowhere to be found. A letter dating back to May 23 of last year informs him that they were trying to escape the inner-city before the ash cloud and earthquakes that rocked the city worsened and escape was impossible.

Shortly thereafter he encounters a little girl on the street and mistakenly believes she is Mary. He pursues her into an alley where she is cornered by group of thugs. Acting quickly, he kills the thugs and coaxes the girl out of hiding with his video camera. Mei introduces herself and the Protagonist forms a paternal bond with her; as Mei is roughly the same age as his daughter, the Protagonist admits in a video that she reminds him a lot of "their Mary". When he realizes that she is running a fever, he travels outside of the mall to retrieve medicine to bring down her fever.

Scaling the ruined buildings, he manages to acquire the medicine needed and returns to the mall. After allowing her to rest, they resume traveling and venture below the city into the subway system. He returns her to the care of a man named Henry, the man with whom he has been communicating with over the two-way radio.

As Henry is disabled and confined to a wheel-chair, there is little he can do to help Mei and her mother, Linda, out beyond proving shelter and food. He managed to provide the Protagonist with a Bow to help him conserve ammo.

Though he completes his task and returns Mei to Henry's home, the Protagonist chooses to help them find a radio transmitter and Mei's mother, Linda, who was taken by a group of thugs during her search for medicine for her daughter. He successfully procures the radio transmitter from a marooned boat on Main Street and later goes after Linda. Venturing to the hotel she was taken to, he rescues several other female survivors from their captors and eventually finds Linda. She leads him out of the makeshift whorehouse through the subway, divulging her life story to him.

Linda calls the Protagonist a "dedicated man" when he explains his own situation to her, the Protagonist's hope to find his family never wavers despite the slim chances of ever reuniting with them again. Communicating with non-violent survivors about the state of life after the Event gives him small clues to possible whereabouts of Julie and Mary, strengthening his resolve. He claims that without his family he has no reason to live. When Linda confirms Henry's beliefs of a ship searching for survivors to rescue, the Protagonist is tasked with signaling the ship with fireworks.

When his task is complete he rendezvous with Mei, Linda and Henry at the Pier 37 Amusement Park where rescue awaits. Instead of rescue, he finds a panicked Linda who explains that she, Mei and Henry were attacked by a gang that occupied the park. Arming Linda with his gun, the two split up to find her daughter and their friend; the Protagonist finds a injured man in a corner who encountered Henry. In exchange for patching him up, the injured survivor explains that it was Henry who broke his ribs.

He says that Henry was overpowered and dragged off by a gang that wanted the location of the rescue ship. The Protagonist encounters several gangs, but never finds anything except Henry's wheelchair parked at a set of stairs that would lead him to Mei. Upon finding Mei, he travels across the rooftops of game stands until he reaches Linda who has found the rescue team. Linda, relieved that Mei is with him, calls him a "miracle" in the face of their situation. She goes on to explain that the boat will take them to a settlement called Port Sienna where they'll be safe.

As mother and daughter board the ship, the Protagonist opts to stay behind, unable to leave his family behind before he can find them. He also believes he can still find Henry. Disappointed, Mei hands him her doll to give to his daughter. Linda bids him good luck, knowing without a doubt that he'll find his family again. As the ship sails off the in the distance, the Protagonist faces the camera and promises his wife that he'll find them and set things right between them.

The Protagonist presumably reunites with his family, his belongings are in the possession of his wife, who watches the recordings he left for her and Mary. However, it is implied by his wife's tears and his absence that he died in effort to find them.

Throughout the game, the protagonist is shown to be a skilled survivalist. He is willing to kill to protect himself and those he encounters within the city. On top of that, he knows how to scavenge for food and supplies for a prolonged survival within the perilous post-Event world.

The protagonist is an adept climber, using his wit and strength to shimmy and climb perilous ruins. The mechanics of the game limit his strength and ability to hold onto to ledges with a gauge that monitors your health and stamina. Should the white bar on the left (his stamina) be reach its limits, his strength is severely shortened (as signified by a black bar that emerges from behind the white bar on the far left); should his health be comprised by injury or a fall, his life is shorted.

Both his stamina and health can be replenished with the use of items like water, painkillers, and canned food. Prolonged exposure to the ash that fills the city will decrease his health; a gas mask curbs the damaging effects of the ash for a short time. Should the protagonist engage in cannibalism (eating the "strange meat"), he is penalized and marked. The protagonist is granted a retry each time he chooses to help the victims scattered throughout the city.

When faced with an enemy, the protagonist has the ability to fight one or more assailants with a show of force or a surprise attack. Revealing his weapon (pistol, bowshotgun or machete), early may give him the upper hand for a time, however, the element of surprise is lost and enemies may be bold enough to attack him regardless. Attempting to negotiate himself out of a dangerous situation, though it rarely works, gives him the element of surprise when surrounded by more than three enemies. It also helps to pinpoint the leader of the group, as his death may guarantee a swift victory.

As supplies are sparse, the Protagonist starts off an empty gun, flashlight, climbing rope, among other items that aid him on his journey. As the game progresses, he is able to retrieve bullets, body armor, a shotgun and a bow and arrow to use against the gangs that litter the city.